The plan to develop more than 850 acres in north Fort Collins into the city's next major neighborhood got its first boost of support Thursday from the city's Planning and Zoning board.

After a nearly five-hour public hearing, the board unanimously recommended approval of Montava, a $300 million, 4,000-home project west of the Budweiser brewery. Because the project is so large, City Council will make the final decision on approval.

Developed by Max Moss of HF2M, Montava plans include a working farm, library, school sites, recreation facility, town center and community park built out over the next 25 years. The board approved the high-level design known as the planned unit development, or PUD — the first of a litany of required government approvals.

P&Z recommended approval with a set of modifications to the city's master streets plan, parks and recreation plan, and Mountain Vista subarea plan.

A dozen residents, all in favor of the project, touted the amenities Montava will bring to the city's Mountain Vista subarea plan.

"Montava will give a sense of community, not just a place to sleep," said Elizabeth Nance. She told the planning board it had the ability to decide how the land will be developed: more of the same or something new that makes Fort Collins even more special.

But a handful of residents living in nearby Nedra Hills worried about the thousands of vehicles Montava could add to Country Club Road and Mountain Vista Drive, along with the difficulties added traffic could create trying to get out of their neighborhood.

City traffic engineer Martina Wilkinson said it was too early in the process to know all the ins and outs of traffic. "At the PUD level we are trying to determine what the ultimate build-out will look like and what improvements are needed," she said. "There will be substantial additional traffic."

Currently, the plan includes extending Turnberry and Giddings roads south to Road south toward a reconfigured Suniga Road, or "New Vine" Drive.

The longest discussion of the night came over two non-producing oil and gas wells, specifically where they are located within the project plan and how they should be monitored going forward. An analysis conducted by a city contractor sited the general location of two wells. Montava requested a 150-foot buffer around the wells.

City environmental planner Stephanie Blochowiak said the wells were test wells only and were abandoned. Soil samples showed presence of nitrates and arsenic but "nothing beyond background level" that was consistent with levels throughout the area.

Board member Michael Hobbs, however, wanted more specific information about where the wells were located. There is nothing on state records indicating whether they were capped, Hobbs said. "My concern is the wells may not be where they say they are and soil samples may not be valid."

After a lengthy discussion, the board approved the 150-foot buffer, but Moss and Montava will have to make "reasonable" efforts to pinpoint the wells and conduct soil testing for five years.

Montava is the biggest project going through the city's approval process right now on one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in north Fort Collins.

Montava, 850 acres in north Fort Collins, is moving through the city's approval process. If finalized, Montava would bring about 3,900 homes to the Mountain Vista subarea.(Photo: Montava)

Hobbs called the project "adventurous and brave. You've done a very good job and spent a lot of time engaging the community and I appreciate it."

Board vice chair Jeffrey Schneider said the overall concept "is huge" and resulted in a better product than if it had been proposed in pieces. "I applaud your efforts to put this all together. It's a great asset for the future."

Moss has been working on Montava for more than two years hosting community meetings, briefing City Council and planning a variety of public amenities to win support.

Developers have been slowly plugging away on the necessary approvals needed to build on the land.

He has an option to buy the property in the city's Mountain Vista subarea from Anheuser-Busch. Montava comprises about a third of the total 2,500-acre subarea.

Here's what we know about Montava:

Number and type of homes: 3,900 homes are proposed with about 60% single family and 40% multifamily of various kinds, Moss said. That equates to 2,350 single-family and 1,550 multifamily units.

Affordable housing: Moss has committed to making 10% of the project, or about 390 homes, affordable to residents earning between 60% and 120% of the area's median income for a family of four.

Energy efficiency: All single-family homes will be built to the zero energy ready standard.

Agribusiness: Montava is working with Native Hill Farm of Fort Collins to bring a working farm to the property. The site "has been cover cropped and we have been working intensely on the planning and setup of the farm with Nic Koontz of Native Hill for the past year," Moss said. Every homeowner in Montava will pay $10 a month to the farm to ensure its success, money they will get back in farm credit. "It creates 100% support for the farm," Moss said.

What's next: Once the PUD is approved, Montava will move into final development planning for the first phases. Moss said that process will take nine months to a year before construction of Montava's infrastructure — roads, sewers, curbs and gutter, storm drainage and water — can begin.

How to participate

The Fort Collins City Council is scheduled to consider the project at its weekly meetings on Oct. 15 and Nov. 5 at City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave.

Pat Ferrier is a senior reporter covering business, health care and growth issues in Northern Colorado. Please support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by subscribing: See Coloradoan.com/subscribe to learn how.